And the War Continues

Did you know there was an electric vehicle war going on? If you pay attention to the automobile world with more than a passing fancy you certainly would be well aware of it. Ever since Tesla, headed up by Elon Musk, showed up on the scene with their high priced luxury Model S that is able to run for up to 200 miles with no gasoline power at all other automakers have worked hard to match their build. The audacity of Tesla did two things for the automotive world; first it sparked a massive drive for other companies to work toward better electric vehicles and second it proved that this could actually be done.

Because of the arrogance Tesla showed in bringing their car to market any time there is a vehicle that comes into the market, even in concept form, that might challenge the EV range offered by Tesla it is deemed as the next Tesla killer. This was certainly the case with Chevrolet promised the Bolt as the next car that would reach at minimum of a 200 mile range while carrying only an electric propulsion system at an affordable price compared to the Tesla Model S.

The price Chevrolet promised actually came in at $30,000 which after the $7,500 federal tax credit is actually the price of the Bolt. With this challenge presented, Tesla has chosen to go a step farther in response to the Bolt and begin to create what will be called the Model 3. This will be a car that is supposed to have a range of at least 250 miles and come in at a price of around $35,000. So far this car has not made it to the shows for us to look at, but is expected to be unveiled in March.

Not only have we not seen the Model 3 on an circuit of shows thus far but Elon Must has said there won’t be any additional details revealed until the first show in March, and there still won’t be a full set of statistics for this car until its ready to head into production in 2017. This will leave the car as a serious question for many months, which will certainly be good for Tesla because we will talk about it every time we find out any little bit of additional information as we try and piece the puzzle together.

Does this make the Model 3 a Bolt killer? Considering the Bolt isn’t even on the market yet and won’t be until the 2017 model year it would be hard to call the Model 3 any such thing, but this car is certainly going to be a direct competitor with the Bolt. As we move toward the height of the automotive show circuits we will get to see an impressive new electric car that will be a great addition to the Tesla model lineup. Once 2017 arrives Tesla will have the Model S, Model X and Model 3 to offer a larger crowd of buyers everything they want with zero emissions making this the new wave of driving and a serious war on gasoline engines.